


No Regret, No Mercy, No Guilt

by TheAzureFox



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, I'm weak for this game and I'm weak for this ship, M/M, Multi, OT3 is OT3, because honestly they go so well together, i can't be the only who ships the three house leaders together right?, pre-release character study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 07:33:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19291147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAzureFox/pseuds/TheAzureFox
Summary: Claude, Edelgard, and Dimitri.They are the three leaders of their nations.Yet when the time comes, they will show no regret, no mercy and no guilt.For, if they do, they won't lose their hearts in the process.





	No Regret, No Mercy, No Guilt

**Author's Note:**

> ...if you can guess who my favorite house leader is from this piece alone i'll grant you a cookie

When the time comes, Claude will fight with no regrets.

As the chosen heir to the Leicester Alliance, many expectations are placed on his shoulders. For one, he is to be a proper leader who guides his people into an age of prosperity. For another: he is to fight for honor when honor is needed. Claude must be like the golden deer that his house represents: cautiously elegant yet beautifully deceiving in its appearance.

However, such notions also bring about uncertainties. Claude is a leader-to-be, yes, but even he finds himself trudging through mires of unspoken fears.

From a young age, Claude had known well enough about all the troubles that came with court life. As the elected leader-to-be, he was well used to the ploys of nobles and the plots of the people. The Leicester Alliance, being the most contemporary of the nation-states, was always being held at knifepoint. Between the infighting of nobles and being the only group to accept a constitutional monarchy, the alliance was always being made the center of unwanted attention.

In his world, one could never be too careful. Claude was always a wary person. He couldn’t stand to be naïve or innocent: only fools would fail to perceive the ways of the world. And, Claude used that to his advantage. Even if he always wore a smile on his face and welcomed everyone with shining eyes, he was not a dim-witted individual. Indeed, he was a clever boy – far too clever for the likes of those around him.

Regardless, faced with a divided continent always on the tipping point of bloodshed, Claude couldn’t say he was happy with his current life. Forced into the confines of the Garreg Mach Monastery under the hopeful ideals of peace and prosperity, Claude knows it’s only a matter of time before the cheery world he lives in comes crumbling.

The Garreg Mach Monastery was a place of neutrality, that much was true, but it was also the breeding ground for hostilities and weaknesses. Even for a place boasting of its impartiality, the monastery could only do so much to stave off the hungers of war. Humanity was greedy, selfish and bloodthirsty: he would have to be a fool to claim that the monastery’s sense of peace would be enough to prevent that.

Yet, even so, as he wanders the grounds of the monastery, greeting his peers and eyeing his to-be opponents from afar, he cannot help but indulge himself in the hospitable sanctuary of the monastery. Even as the thoughts of the inevitable weigh on his mind – of the wars that will come without fail, of the battles that will be fought and the needless disputes that will fracture societies to and fro – he finds himself enjoying the life of a student.

Even as the threat of territorial bloodshed lingers over him like a heavy raincloud, Claude permits himself the luxuries of school life. Talking with his peers, making silly fun of the other houses and training to meet his potential…why, from an outsider’s point of view, he’s no different than a boy out to enjoy himself.

And, while it’s not a lie to say such things, it’s also not quite the entirety of the truth, either. Claude is as cautious as he is playful – a boon that will doubtlessly carry him through the pains of war-time when he needs it most. Even as the students from the other houses watch him with eyes narrowed and whispers sewn in their lips, they cannot deny the friendly air with which he greets them.

He is a social butterfly, a dancing entertainer who’s smiles and charms lower the guards of the most unfriendly of folks. Even Edelgard, the stoic and calculating heiress to the Adrestian Empire, relaxes her guard whenever Claude flashes her a grin.

Still, just as he is a puppeteer pulling strings behind the scenes, he is also a fool being played by others. It’s how life works in the academy: everyone smiles and plays pretend but, at the end of the day, they all know that an enemy’s an enemy and it’s too dangerous to foster tangible relationships.

And, oh, how Claude wishes it weren’t so. The pretense held above their heads – the oh-so-lovely message of “peace, love and prosperity” – is nothing but a giant act put forth to entertain a giant lie. Even if they play their parts, even if Claude acts as the amiable leader of his people, even if Dimitri greets him with outgoing “Hellos!” and Edelgard gives her awkward curtsies, they will be nothing more than enemies.

It is for that reason alone that Claude doesn’t allow himself to get attached. Even as he wields his prized bow and participates in the silly game called “military academy”, he remembers to keep his distance, to sever his emotions and not allow for the lingering pangs of a life he cannot live.

His actions are merely an act: he, too, plays his part in the theater of their school, if only to incite the delusional sense of hope in his friends and comrades. With their starry eyes and their heads filled full of ideals too perfect to handle, even the cynical Claude cannot deny his peers their fleeting moments of happiness. He turns a blind eye to their silly friendships, to their casual flings and their intimate relationships with those from the other houses. And, what else can he do but let his partners in war enjoy what little joy they’ll have left in their lives?

Still, he can’t say he’s not jealous of them. He can’t say he’s not envious of the longing glances sent behind turned backs or the lips locked fearlessly in hallways full of people. It’s not like Claude hasn’t had thoughts of his own along those lines (he’s thought many times of kissing a blond boy and holding hands with a silver-haired girl, after all) but, even so, he knows better than to indulge his desires.

As head of the Golden Deer, as the archer leader of the Leicester Alliance, and as the most cynical of them all, he knows is that war is inevitable. So, instead of playing nice, instead of allowing himself the belief of hope and friendship, Claude trudges on, eyes straight ahead. Regardless of the chess pieces sent scattering across the checkerboard, he knows better than to stop and smell the flowers in a battlefield awaiting his presence.

So, with an arrow nocked and his bow raised, Claude knows this: he fights for the alliance. He doesn’t fight for that of the Church of Seiros or that of the holy kingdom and the empire. No, he fights for his people and his subjects. Regardless of the peace that he is said to aspire towards, Claude raises his weapon and waits.

And, when the time comes, he’ll fight with no regrets. Nothing will stand in his way: not even those whose hearts have captivated his own.

* * *

 When the time comes, Edelgard will fight with no mercy.

Cold and calculating, Edelgard knows better than to underestimate the opponents at hand. Raised under the guidance of the Adrestian Empire, she is no more than a lady waiting to take the throne. Like the black eagles that soar across her skies, she is wise and empowering. Her people look upon her like a goddess, eager to win her reverence. But, what they do not see is the bloodstained warrior trained to be a leader.

This, she knows. Even as she stands tall, back straight and sharp gaze cut across the lines of the enemy, Edelgard is not so foolish as to fail to recognize her youthfulness. Though she is a leader in name, she is a student at heart. Her mind is not yet suited to the tactics of combat and her body is not yet willful to take the life of another.

This bothers her, as it always does, for Edelgard cannot stand the immaturity of her age. Even as others praise her for being fair and just, she cannot fail to deny the criticisms that invoke her subject’s watchful eyes. Not only is she a teenager striving to take her empire from the throne but she is also a princess – not a prince – whose sheer gender has earned her the stubborn disapproval of the noble families.

So, with her standing nothing more than a rug waiting to be pulled out from underneath her, Edelgard studies. She studies and she studies and she studies. Because, after all, in a monastery full of nothing but enemies and books, there is nothing better for her to do. In order to surpass the expectations of her people, in order to prove herself worthy in both maturity and qualifications, she studies. Battle tactics, combat strategies, war history, merchant routes…nothing is safe from her hungry eyes.

Still, with that said, Edelgard does not fail to neglect her duties. As heiress to the empire she will come to inherit, she keeps a watchful eye over that of her subjects and that of her enemies. The monastery is a place of peace and prosperity, true, but even she knows better than to be wrapped up in the fantasies of a world where the other nations do not exist.

It is with some regret that Edelgard can stare upon her people and not enjoy in their pleasantries. Even as her gaze catches that of her subjects frolicking with another, smiles on their lips and happiness in their eyes, she finds herself unable to participate in the life the Church of Seiros has promised her.

Making friends with her people is one thing. Making friends with those she might cut down one day in battle is another. Edelgard refuses to do that. She refuses to play along and she refuses to allow weaknesses such as “friendship” threaten her subjects.

Though…that doesn’t keep her from yearning.

( _Dark skin coated in golden silks from afar._ )

( _Blond hair with a body draped in gentle blues._ )

A boy atop a gold deer and a boy perched upon a blue lion.

Edelgard is lying when she says she hasn’t already begun to feel the feelings she must never feel.

It’s laughable. Her, the leader of the Adrestian Empire, yearning for the leaders of two other nations? And yearning for her _enemies_ to boot? She’d have to be _stupid_ not to see the dangerous position her feelings were putting her in.

Yet, she’s nothing more than a hypocrite. Even as she scolds her peers from interacting with that of the other houses, even as she scolds her friends for their reckless lack of thought, she is enjoying the temptations of the enemy just as much as they are.

Holing herself up in the library can only go so far: Claude’s persistent smiles and Dimitri’s lingering touches follow her everywhere.

Still, Edelgard is not a lady of defeat. Even in the face of conflicting emotions, she bares her axe and stands proudly in the name of her people. She cannot sully herself with feelings like longing or lust. No, she cannot. Even if her heart yearns for it, she knows logic is her only choice in sanity.

Because, if she falls, if she crosses the boundary between hate and love, then her people will fall with her. And, that… _that_ is a risk she _cannot_ _afford_ to take.

Selflessness over selfishness. Logic over emotions. Heartlessness over empathy.

Selfless. Logical. Heartless.

Plunging her axe into the ground, Edelgard stands tall and ready. War is not a game of emotions. She knows that.

And, when the time comes, she’ll show no loyalty towards those who’ve taken her heart. Her battlefield is not one of love and affection: it’s of lies, deceit and cold-hearted cunning. She cannot afford the sway of her heart or her mind, no, she cannot. So it is without mercy that she fights. For, if she gives even an inch, if she lets her heart sway her only once, she knows she will fall.

She cannot let that happen: for, falling so easily would surely disappoint the ones she treasures most.

* * *

When the time comes, Dimitri will fight with no guilt.

As the prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faergus, Dimitri upholds certain codes of conduct. Chivalry, among the politeness of knights and warriors, is his bread and butter. He spends every waking moment breathing in the rules of knighthood, training himself to be his best. For, as prince and sole heir to the throne, he cannot afford to waste away in idle luxury. Taking up his sword and proving his worth is only a must in his line of duty. As the future king, he cannot disappoint his people by failing to best even the strongest of enemies.

But it is with discomfort that Dimitri upholds his lineage. Pressed into a place of constant expectations, he can do nothing more than perfect himself. Day in and day out he must practice. Using his sword and using his compassionate sense of honor, he works for justice and he works for honor. Like the blue lions his house represents, he prowls the jungles not for power or lust but for the call of pride and fairness.

Even at the monastery, where he is held under constant scrutiny by both his peers and future enemies, Dimitri knows he cannot falter. One misstep, one mistake, one wrong blow…and he’s history. All around him are the eyes of people, people he cannot escape from. Even as he walks around with a smile on his face, greeting his peers with boundless joy, he cannot truly tuck away the feelings rolling inside him.

He is ashamed. He is afraid. He is terrified and alone and scared and all he wants to do is clutch at his head and cry. Though it is ill-befitting of a prince like him to cower away, to sob like a child and tremble with hesitance, he is not the perfect little doll, either. Even as he attends the monastery under the guise of fostering peace with the other nations, he cannot ignore the constant target on his back or the staring eyes which judge his every move.

However, much to his loathing and envy, there are two people who stand proud even if they carry the same weight as he. The heir apparent to Adrestian and Leicester’s leader in waiting stand within the walls of the monastery with nobility he cannot dare to match. He’s jealous of them, that girl with silver hair and that boy with green eyes. How dare they, _how dare they_ act like everything is alright and he’s the only one left to suffer.

But, perhaps that’s alright. Dimitri is a person of guilt, of knowing so thick that it chokes him every night. He cannot bear to look upon the other students with anything other than distant friendliness. If he gets too close, if he knows their names and their faces, he will come to regret. He will be drawing his sword and cutting them down, he will be staining his hands in their blood and no doubt crying over the innocence he will no longer have.

However, that doesn’t stop _them_ from approaching him. The princess of another empire always greets him with firm politeness, never allowing any kind of slight that could harm the both of them. The rising leader of an alliance of nobles bumps his shoulder with Dimitri’s and waves away the boy’s worries like a magician waves away a deck of cards. They are both complex people, perhaps, wearing those poker faces that Dimitri can not read through, but it doesn’t stop his heart from collapsing in upon itself.

Dimitri knows better than to foster relationships with people he’ll kill in war. He knows that…he knows that he knows that he knows that…and…yet…

Yet his heart still beats for those two leaders whose kindness is no doubt a farce meant to lower his guard. He clings to them like he might his parents, enjoying their comfort even though he knows better. He can’t get used to them, can’t afford to be chummy with those who will doubtlessly raise their weapons against him.

It’s to the point where even his peers have taken notice. His friends and comrades, loyal servants to the Holy Kingdom, have begun to confront him. Their words are sharp and their gazes even sharper. Scrutiny runs through their blood, swords always at the ready as they question their prince. All it takes is some pretty words and smart-sounding promises to fool them. Yet, the more he deceives his people the more his guilt grows.

A spiral…an endless spiral…

Dimitri is swallowed by premonitions that he knows are to come. The people he meets, the people who fight alongside him…they’ll all disappear, right? War is a cruel thing, a very cruel thing, and Dimitri knows of the losses it brings. No matter what he does, his blade will be raised against those who are his enemies. He fights for honor, for nobility, but even the most noble of knights cannot avoid the advent of slaughter.

So, raising his sword to the skies and declaring himself a knowing sinner, Dimitri moves forward. Even if the world is to turn against him, even if he is to cut down the people he knows and loves, he is aware he cannot harbor fear of offense. He is a prince: he has no room for innocence or fear or despair.

No, even as the smiling faces of those he cares about become nothing more than a tattered memory, Dimitri will carry on. Because he must. If he fails, there will be nothing left of him because his soul will shatter and his mind will crumble. That is the fate that awaits him, yet he moves onwards. Like a puppet, he marches and marches and marches. And he’ll march until he snaps, until the strings binding him cut clean and his guilt is non-existent.

And, when the time comes, Dimitri will fight without guilt. Even as he feels it boil in his stomach, consuming and gnawing at his soul, he’s promised himself this much. He is a knight, a prince, a soon-to-be-king…he simply cannot allow himself the distractions that will put a chink in his code of chivalry.

**Author's Note:**

> Tl;dr versions of pre-timeskip character interpretations:
> 
> Claude: A cynical bastard who thinks he's wasting time at the monastery. He doesn't believe it's possible to achieve any sort of peace with his (future but not yet) enemies and hates the Church of Seiros for forcing him to try and think otherwise. He also knows war is inevitable and doesn't try to fight that fate, even disregarding his own desires to do so. Despite his beliefs, he comes off as a happy guy who is care-free to any fool's unthinking eye. 
> 
> Edelgard: A hypocritical princess who is so indulgent in self-preservation that she neglects the likes of those around her. She wants to believe in the objectives of the Church of Seiros and enjoy herself but finds she cannot because her leadership will be further in question if she tries to follow their ideals of "peace and prosperity between the three nations". She also tries to keep her housemates under control by forbidding them from interacting in any way with the other houses. However, the fact that she is pursuing a ~~romantic~~ friendly relationship with the other house leaders just shows her hypocrisy. 
> 
> Dimitri: A "perfect knight" who is so caught up in trying to please others that he gets caught up in his own anxieties, paranoia, anger, and fear. He's always striving to make himself the best that he can but, while doing that, he unfortunately builds immense pressure upon himself that chips away at his sanity. He's not as strong as he portrays himself to be and, instead, is actually quite miserable and depressed. However, while he sinks into his own miseries, he also sinks into his own jealousies and envies as well. Dimitri isn't just a prince of sadness - he's a prince of anger and self-loathing. His twisted longing for perfectionism has caused him to go a little bit crazy (though he himself doesn't recognize it within himself) and ever so slowly...ever so slowly...will he _snap_. 
> 
> All three of them are influenced by my interpretations of their past selves come to affect their future selves. I don't believe fully that they're all innocent and naive students when they attend the monastery and I think it takes more than just a five year timeskip to turn them from seemingly good-natured people to people fractured by the mysterious future war. Also, I really don't trust that Claude is as cheerful and shounen-y as the trailers have shown him to be both pre-timeskip and post-timeskip. Friendship speech or not, that boy screams _trickster_ and I'm willing to bet he's not as happy-go-lucky as the trailers make him seem but, rather, just as dangerous as future!Dimitri + future!Edelgard seem to be.


End file.
